Ss pain under the sole of your foot familiar? It's often caused by plantar fasciitis, the 3rd most common running injury. Plantar fasciitis is a painful overuse of a tendon plate in the lower foot, the plantar fascia. Are you affected too? We want to help you get relief from your discomfort as quickly as possible so you can return to your running training. What plantar fasciitis is in comparison to heel spurs, what symptoms occur and how you can treat it successfully, we show here.
The plantar fascia, a tendon plate, extends under the foot from the heel bone to the toes. Its main function is to stabilize the foot during movement and cushion our body weight. It also prevents our foot from sinking and causing a flat foot. If it is persistently overloaded, micro-tears occur, which can cause inflammation in the tissue of the tendon plate.
So what is a heel spur? If you don't change your routines despite plantar pain and diligently continue to lace up your running shoes, the micro-cracks can develop into calcifications. These bone outgrowths are called heel spurs. The bony spur, detectable on X-rays, is the result of recurrent inflammation - but not the cause of the discomfort. From a medical point of view, plantar fasciitis and heel spurs are not the same, but the two are related.
So how do you know if your heel pain is plantar fasciitis?
A classic plantar fasciitis symptom is burning or pulling pain in the heel, which can also radiate to the entire sole of the foot. Some sufferers also complain of discomfort in the Achilles tendon area. We will explain how this is related to plantar fasciitis in the section Plantar fasciitis causes.
The onset of plantar fasciitis is gradual over weeks to months and initially the symptoms disappear again in between. At first, the sole of the foot only hurts under stress. In the further course, pain of the sole of the foot also occurs in the morning with the first steps or after prolonged sitting (so-called start-up pain). This is because the tendon shortens due to lack of movement, such as when sitting, and is irritated by the subsequent stretching of the foot and toes when walking.
Usually, one walks in during the day and the pain of the sole of the foot becomes less again. During sports, too, one initially feels discomfort at the beginning of the strain, which decreases as one warms up.
Often the pain can be felt when you press your fingers into the sole of your foot. If you are affected by inflammation of the plantar fascia, you will probably find it difficult to extend your foot and toes toward the top of your foot (dorsiflexion). Speaking of which, plantar fasciitis doesn't necessarily occur on just one foot - both plantar fasciae may hurt.
During the rolling motion of our foot, the plantar fascia tenses to stabilize the arch of the foot. At this moment, the tendon attachment under the heel is working at full capacity, and the mechanical load is correspondingly high. Thus, a flexible and strong musculoskeletal system is the be-all and end-all - this is where the deficits usually lie. It is certain that 83% of those affected have shortened calf muscles and cannot perform a deep squat, i.e. the mobility in the ankle joint is restricted. However, it is often not the one malposition that triggers pain in the arch of the foot, but a mix of various overloads and unbalanced training.
"83% of sufferers show shortened calf muscles and cannot perform a deep squat."
Overloading the plantar fascia
A classic cause of plantar fasciitis and later heel spurs is overloading, usually as a result of high athletic stress. Runners who run kilometer after kilometer with heart and soul are predestined for plantar fasciitis. A too rapid increase in the amount of training or a lack of recovery time after long running sessions can also irritate the plantar tendon. However, a sudden change in training stimulus, e.g. a change to a hard surface (road) can also be a triggering factor for an overload.
Shortened Achilles tendon and/or calf muscles
Plantar fasciitis is often accompanied by a lack of flexibility. Due to a shortening of the Achilles tendon or calf muscles, the plantar fascia is under constant tension, as it is connected to the calf muscles via the Achilles tendon. Basically, the lower the mobility, the greater the likelihood of suffering from plantar fasciitis.
Muscular deficits
The plantar fascia, Achilles tendon, calf musculature and posterior thigh musculature are to be regarded biomechanically as a functional unit. Disturbances in one area therefore also affect the other areas. Overloading of the calf muscles can be caused by excessively weak gluteal muscles . A small muscle (calf) then partially takes over the tasks of a large muscle (gluteus). You notice that your trunk muscles are weakening? This muscular deficit can be one of the causes of plantar fasciitis, because a too weak trunk musculature lacks the balance to gravity. To stabilize body weight, the toes claw into the ground to maintain better balance. Again, small muscles (toe flexors) take over the work of a large muscle (core muscles). As a result, your plantar fascia hurts from overuse. In addition to muscular imbalances, poorly developed foot muscles can also promote plantar fasciitis.
Foot malpositions
Excessive pronation of the foot or foot malpositions, such as bent, flat or hollow foot, can be reasons for inflammation of the plantar tendon. Due to the malposition, the plantar tendon is permanently under stress and can overload more quickly. All the more important is the right footwear including insoles to counteract this.
Inadequate shoes
Whether in everyday life due to too hard heels or insufficient cushioning of your running shoes - uncomfortable footwear increases your risk of plantar fasciitis.
Other risk factors
Being overweight can promote inflammation of the tendon plate, as the strain on the plantar fascia increases as well. But plantar fasciitis pain also becomes more common with advancing age, as tendons gradually lose their elasticity.
What to do when the sole of your foot hurts? With a few tips and tricks, you can treat plantar fasciitis yourself and make sure it doesn't happen to you again:
Take a break from exercising
Even if it's hard, if you go running despite plantar fasciitis and don't take the pain under your foot seriously, it can make your symptoms worse. Give the bottom of your foot time to allow the fascia to recover and the acute inflammation to heal. Use the running-free time to do a professional running analysis, e.g. in our CURREX 5D-Lab. This not only determines the optimal running shoe and the appropriate insole, but also optimizes your own running style and reveals your weak points. This can work wonders.
Plantar fasciitis? Insoles relieve the pain
Thanks to the plantar fascia, our body weight is cushioned. This is because, especially when running, a multiple of our weight acts on our feet with every step. Dynamic insoles help the plantar fascia distribute the force. They are often a good supplement for pain relief. From our practical experience in our analysis laboratory 5D-Lab we can proudly report that the CURREX RUNPRO achieves very good testimonials.
Plantar fascia stretch
Low mobility make you vulnerable to plantar fasciitis. So right here is a good starting point for therapy and prevention. So increasing the flexibility of your calves, Achilles tendons and plantar fascia should be your goal.
Plantar fasciitis: Strengthening exercises
Balanced strength training is good for a healthy musculoskeletal system. To combat plantar fasciitis, add exercises for your foot, gluteal and core muscles to your agenda.
Plantar fasciitis: Massage helps
Massage the bottom of your feet at least 2-3 times a day, for example with a hedgehog ball, fascia ball or golf ball. There is no consensus yet on whether you should roll over the painful area or leave it out. Decide here what is good for you - the important thing is that you don't feel much pain when massaging.
What are the benefits of massage for plantar fasciitis? In this way, you promote blood circulation in the sole of the foot and relieve the muscles. Standing on an accupressure mat also relieves tension and exercises your foot muscles.
Barefoot running
Hand on your heart: How often do you run barefoot? We often spend hours in tight, sometimes uncomfortable shoes and thus challenge our foot muscles very one-sided. Walking barefoot, on the other hand, is very natural for the body and sets new stimuli - so you train your foot muscles and increase the blood flow to the affected areas.
Plantar fasciitis taping
Taping for plantar fasciitis gives stability to the foot and arch. It reduces the pressure on the tendon when walking and thus reduces the strain and your pain in the arch of the foot.
You can avoid plantar pain and treat plantar fasciitis by paying attention to the following points and listening to your body:
1. Mobility - Good ankle mobility is essential. Focus on stretching your Achilles tendon, calves and plantar fascia.
2) Strengthening - Strong foot, gluteal and core muscles are able to absorb and optimally distribute the forces of running. Work against plantar fasciitis and muscular weaknesses through strengthening exercises.
3. massage - whether it's a hedgehog ball, fascia ball or accupressure mat - these tools train the sole of your foot, relieve tension and promote blood circulation. Regular barefoot walking also has this effect and should not be neglected.
4. shoes and insoles - your shoe and insole supply should be adapted to your individual runner profile: With the Currex RunPro, your running shoes form a unit and thus distribute the forces optimally to your foot so that plantar fasciitis never occurs again.
